Ostomy appliances for receiving body waste material, such as ostomy pouches, are known. Such pouches may be used, for example by people who have had surgery such as colostomy, ileostomy, or urostomy, and typically include opposing sidewalls of flexible polymer film material that are sealed along peripheral edges thereof to define a cavity between the sealed sidewalls. An opening in one of the sidewalls is adapted to receive a stoma of a patient, from which waste material exits the patient and is collected in the pouch cavity. Some known ostomy appliances include a barrier ring coupled to one of the sidewalls of the pouch adjacent the opening in the sidewall. The barrier ring may include an adhesive layer for securing the pouch to the patient. Additionally, the ostomy appliance may include other securing or attachment mechanisms, such as one or more belt tabs that allow the pouch to be secured to the patient by a belt, for example. These belt tabs are typically provided on a ring made, for example, from polyethylene, that is heat sealed or otherwise attached to the pouch sidewall.
Such general examples of known pouches have proved to be effective, although, patients and health care professionals have occasionally observed that such pouches may be overly stiff and inflexible. Consequently, improvements to known pouches can be made to provide a flexible barrier ring that provides leak protection when secured to a patient. Improved pouches may also provide additional securing mechanisms, such as belt tabs, the incorporation of which should generally not detract from the flexibility and comfort of the pouches during use. In addition, such pouches may be one-piece systems to provide further leak protection.